YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

I'll be starting today! I'm so excitedddddd :)))))

30%
(view spoiler)[ I really like this so far! I'm loving Alessandra and how this whole woo the king thing is playing out. Kallias doesn't seem to be budging much, but I do think he likes her romantically a tiny tiny bit so we'll see what happens. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

53%
(view spoiler)[ okay. so I'm hardcore shipping Alessandro and Kallias. I like how theres kinda a love triangle with Leandros because he has no chance. its honestly kinda useless that hes even in the book.
but anyways, I'm really intrigued to see what happens with Hektor's father and Alessandra. I feel like she may be in some trouble and her and Kallias will get in more arguments or they may agree with each other. I'm still waiting for her to grow on Kallias.... (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

88%
(view spoiler)[ omggg I knew that little girl would be behind it! It was rather obvious that Vasco was behind it though. Honestly, I had a feeling that Kallias wouldn't care about the Hektor thing, but it was still rather amusing to see him so amused by it.
There's still 30 pages left so I have another feeling that there will be at least one more disagreement to come.. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

finished!
(view spoiler)[ Well i said Leandros was useless, but clearly he was more important.... (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

I'll be starting this later today

ch 7 (view spoiler)[ Well, Alessandra is a bad person lol. She killed a boy because he broke up with her and wants to kill the King just for the power. I hope Kallias can match her and not be totally manipulated (hide spoiler)]

Evelyn wrote: "30%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ He definitely likes her a bit since he asked her about courting. She's an interesting character for sure (hide spoiler)]

ch 16 (view spoiler)[ Interesting that Kallias can make himself shadow, but if he lets Alessandra touch him then he'll always be corporeal. Although, how did he have sex with someone then? Maybe I missed something... (hide spoiler)]

Evelyn wrote: "53%
bu..."

(view spoiler)[ I think Leandros is kind of cute and I wonder if he's the one stealing from the rich? (hide spoiler)]

ch 20 (view spoiler)[ Oren is kind of a forgettable character so I'm disappointed he is the bandit stealing from the rich. At least Alessandra was able to use him to get Ruben out of his engagement. I think the council are the ones who want Kallias gone. If there's no heir then they can rule (hide spoiler)]

finished (view spoiler)[ Well, it's not a surprise that Vasco was a bad guy. I wanted Leandros to be good, but I was kind of suspicious of him. I definitely did not think he was Kallias' brother because how can you not recognize him?! This was okay but I didn't love it (hide spoiler)]

Evelyn wrote: "finished!
[spoilers removed]"

No kidding! (view spoiler)[ I can't believe he was Kallias' brother. That seems weird he wouldn't recognize him (hide spoiler)]

Aly wrote: "Evelyn wrote: "finished!
[spoilers removed]"

No kidding! [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[ Now that I think about it, it is pretty weird that Kallias didn't recognize him. Maybe they never saw each other much? lol (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Aly wrote: "ch 7 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I love how she's a "bad" person while being aware of it and unashamed. It changes and that's enjoyable. It was so fun when she was mocking her lover who wanted to marry her lol. (hide spoiler)]

Aly wrote: "Evelyn wrote: "53%


[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I liked Leandros for a while. I was feeling bad for him when she rejected him but I get why she'd choose the King since he was her target at first and is developing feelings for him now. (hide spoiler)]

Finished - (view spoiler)[ I really didn't expect Leandros to be the bad guy and his dead brother. He was jealous and wanted the power of the shadows for himself. I understand why he killed their father for beating him but his mother too?! (hide spoiler)]

I loved this book. It's a nice change to read a ya fantasy standalone. I feel like it's so rare nowadays. I knew before going into it that it was focused heavily on the romance so I didn't expect good world-building or a complex fantasy plot which probably helped. The audiobook was easy to listen to and enjoyable :)

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Date changed. Restarting April 9th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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Checking in!

I started this on audio today. It has such a strong start! The opening line is great.

Up to Chapter 8 - 20%

I don't know if it's because I was running late for my only shift this week (oops) and I missed it, but they have mentioned the shadows a few times and haven't really given an explanation. I'm hoping that we'll get more into the magic system now that the introductory portion of the book is over.

I was going to comment on how much Alessandra reminds me of the MC from Daughter of the Pirate King, totally forgetting that this book is written by the same author haha
I do tire easily when a female main character constantly talks about how attractive they are, what a seductress they are, how men fall all over themselves for them, and Alessandra basically hasn't stopped. For some reason it really takes me out of the story.

Phoebe and I are setting this for the 5th, but I'll start it today :)

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Date changed. Restarting May 5th & 9th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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I'll start today too Maddie! :)

@Maddie and @Phoebe

I'm going to start this tomorrow as I am almost done with my other Audio book.

Kelly wrote: "Finished - [spoilers removed]"

This surprised me as well!

Kelly wrote: "I loved this book. It's a nice chDaughter of the Siren Queenange to read a ya fantasy standalone. I feel like it's so rare nowadays. I knew before going into it that it was focused heavily on the romance so I didn't expect g..."

I love Tricia Levenseller I did enjoy this book, but it's probably my least favorite of her books so far - I still enjoyed it, I just didn't like the main character as much as I wanted to. I love Warrior of the Wild and of course Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen. She is probably one of my favorite authors and I always look forward to reading something new by her.

Perfect guys! I need to catch up on HP4 first, and then I'll get to this, assuming I can get off my game :p

So I still haven't started :p I was playing my game aaalllll day.

@Maddie its ok I haven't started yet, either!

Absolutely no worries at all :)

Ch 6: (view spoiler)[ I love how fast-paced this is! We're getting right to the action! Not sure how I feel about Alessandra yet, I don't know if we'd be friends in real life lol (hide spoiler)]

Ch 11: (view spoiler)[ Okay, I definitely came around to Alessandra! Being a second sibling myself, I definitely understand her frustration with always feeling compared to her older sister and I think that explains her motives for wanting power/acknowledgment a lot. It's also interesting to read from her POV because I feel like we have totally different personalities. I'm always super open and trusting with everyone I meet and Alessandra is... the absolute opposite of that haha (hide spoiler)]

Flying phoebe!

Go Phoebe! I just started the audio!

Thanks y'all :D I'm flying through this one and absolutely loving it :)

Up through Ch 21 now! (view spoiler)[ Oooooh so excited for Kassian and Alessandra to go to the club together. I love this assassin plotline and I'm super excited to see where it goes. Also, I love how calculating and intentional Alessandra can be when putting together a plan to get what she wants - I wish I could think ahead that much! (hide spoiler)]

15% (view spoiler)[ I'm not sure I like Alessandra attitude towards everyone. She has the take no shit from anyone and its all about me attitude. (hide spoiler)]

phoebe wrote: "Ch 6: [spoilers removed]"

I'm with you. I don't think Alessandra and I would get along in real life!

Ch 23: (view spoiler)[ Poor Leandros :( He seems like such a good guy and I feel so bad for him that he keeps getting strung along! Super heartbreaking to watch Alessandra turn him down, even though I like her better with Kallias (hide spoiler)]

Ch 28: (view spoiler)[ Okay, kind of freaking out over here. I love love love Alessandra and Kassian together! But I feel like the poison Alessandra hid in the back of her dresser is totally going to be found when they move her stuff into Kallias's room. This is a standalone right?! How is this going to get resolved in 30 pages?!? *panicking* (hide spoiler)]

Finished :D I really really enjoyed this one y'all, as you could probably tell by how fast I flew through it haha

(view spoiler)[ Holy cow. What an ending! I was seriously questioning how we were going to get everything resolved so quickly but I think it was really well done! I didn't expect Leandros at all (as you can tell in my Ch 23 reaction lol) and having him be Kallias's brother was such a good plot twist. I really liked Kallias and Alessandra together, even though Alessandra was a very different character than I usually enjoy reading about. So sad this is just a standalone too! I wish we could've gotten to see more of Kallias and Alessandra ruling together and I think there's definitely material for a sequel if the author wanted to write one :) (hide spoiler)]

Woah 5 stars!

Maddie wrote: "Woah 5 stars!"

Yes :) I really enjoyed it!

40% (view spoiler)[ When Alessandra got into that fighting ring with the viper, I was so hoping she wasn't going to get herself killed! I think she is starting to have feelings for Leandros. (hide spoiler)]

phoebe wrote: "Thanks y'all :D I'm flying through this one and absolutely loving it :)

Up through Ch 21 now! [spoilers removed]"

I know I really like the way her mind think when she is coming up with her plans

75% (view spoiler)[ I love the banter between Kallias and Alessandra and the way there relationship is developing. I have a couple of chapters left but I don't know how this is going to be resolved in so short of time. (hide spoiler)]

phoebe wrote: "Ch 23: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I am glad that she turned Leandros down, what is with all the guys falling for her. (hide spoiler)]

Sarah wrote: "75% [spoilers removed]"

That was my exact thought too! I was nearly sweating in the last few chapters XD

Finished: (view spoiler)[ There was so much that happened in the last couple of chapter in this book that I feel like the author rushed the last of the book. Leandros being the died brother, I didn't see that coming, and being the one to kill this parents for what they did to him. I feel bad for him.

I really wanted to Killias to come after Alessandra when he found the posion, but she went back to him to stop him being killed again. That just showed how much she really loved him. (hide spoiler)]

I am sorry that it took me so long to finish this book,